Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97409 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97409 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
The tears fall onto my gray pants, staining them a darker gray.
I hear noise coming from the kitchen. My feet move without me having to consciously think about it. He’s there, taking out a pan and placing it on the stove. He moves to the fridge and must sense me there because he looks over.
“I know you’re leaving.” His eyes make me think his heart is broken. “But I wanted to cook for you before you go. I don’t know if you have any food at home, so I was going to fill you up.”
I put my hand to my mouth and take a deep breath. “I don’t want to leave,” I confess. “I want to stay.”
“I want you to stay.” He doesn’t move, knowing I have more to say.
“I’m not my parents.”
“You are not them,” he confirms.
“I’ll never be them.”
“You will never be them,” he agrees. “You could have been them. You could have been just like them, but you aren’t.” He takes a step toward me. “Would you ever use our child the way they used you?”
“Never. I would never in my life do that to our child.” I put the back of my hand to my mouth to stop the sob as he closes the distance between us.
“I know. Everyone who knows you knows that.” His hands come up to cradle my face. “Do you know how much you are loved?” It’s a question that I’ve never thought about. “Brock threatened to kick my ass. All the guys at the station glare at me when I come to see you. Your captain gave me the third degree when I dropped off my keys the other day. Burke said he would shoot me in the leg, right above my knee, if I hurt you.” The laugh escapes me. “Then he said he’d shoot my other leg after the first one heals.”
“He did not.” I shake my head, shocked by all this information.
“He did, and he has to be nice to me since I’m building the apartment at his house.” His thumbs catch my tears that are now leaking for a whole different reason. “Roman said he would inject insulin between my toes while I slept, so no one would find out how I died.”
“That’s so diabolical.” I put my hands on his chest, my finger rubbing back and forth nervously. “I haven’t had a lot of experience with what love is. But I know I love our child more than anything already and, well, I think I love you just as much.” His heartbeat thumps under my hand, and it’s everything. I tap my finger, forcing mine to beat at the same rhythm.
He smiles as his lips touch mine. “I’ve never wanted anything in my life the way I want you.” He kisses my lips again. “You going to move in with me?”
“Theo, I have a house.”
“No, you have a death trap.” That makes me giggle for the first time in what feels like forever. “I’m not kidding, Collins, that place is probably not even up to code.”
I roll my eyes, moving my hands to his sides and gripping his shirt in my fists, making sure he doesn’t leave me. “It’s fine.”
“Your wiring is all fucking shot. I went to check, and there are some breakers that look like they don’t even work. And don’t get me started on the plumbing.”
“I live in it just fine.” I mean, I know there are technically lots of things wrong with it, but it’s mine, so it’s been perfect in my eyes.
“Well, how about this?” His hands drop from my face, and he pulls me to him. My arms go around his waist. “I’ll go with you to your house, and we’ll check everything, and if it passes code, then I won’t say anything to you.”
I bite my lower lip. “What happens if it doesn’t pass code?”
“Then you move in here. We get your house up to code, and you rent it out.”
The doorbell rings, and my body goes tight. My mother must be back. He lets me go and stomps to the door. I hear voices and then . . . his parents walk into the room.
The smile on his mother’s face fades when she sees me. “Why is she crying?” Her voice rises when she turns to Theo. “What did you do to make her cry? Blake, she’s crying.”
“I’m okay,” I say quickly, my hand on my stomach, “or I’ll be okay. I swear, it’s just—”
“What did you say to her?” Samantha asks Theo, coming to me and wrapping one arm around my waist. “You said something insensitive, didn’t you?” She looks at me. “You can tell me what he said.”
“He actually didn’t say anything,” I say, defending him. “It’s just a couple of things that happened.” I feel her tighten her grip on me. “It’s a long story, but you might as well hear it from me first.”